In the related art, a THERMOS bottle or a tabletop pot such as a metal container accommodating beverages, for example coffee or tea, has a small opening and the inside portion thereof is difficult to wash. Accordingly, a sponge or the like having a shape appropriate for washing the inside of a container has been sold.
However, washing a THERMOS bottle or the like using a dedicated sponge whenever the THERMOS bottle or the like is used makes a user feel burdened. However, when washing is repeatedly performed with a simple method of only rinsing the inside of the container using water or a neutral detergent, stains from beverages such as coffee or tea stains attached to the surface in the container are not eliminated and therefore the surface of the container becomes gradually discolored. After the container is discolored in this manner, the stains cannot be eliminated using a sponge. In this case, it is necessary to wash the inside of the container with a washing solution in which an oxygen-based bleach or the like is dissolved. However, when the oxygen-based bleach is used, the container is required to be immersed in the washing solution for several hours to several tens of hours, hence a demand for quickly washing and then immediately using the THERMOS bottle or the like cannot be satisfied.
As a method for satisfying the above-described demand, a method of applying a positive voltage to an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution and decomposing stains attached to an object to be washed using hydroxyl radicals generated by a negative voltage being applied to the object to be washed is known (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication Nos. 2002-173799 and 2011-56422).
Further, as a solid hydrogen peroxide generating agent that generates hydrogen peroxide by being dissolved in water, percarbonate, perborate, and the like are known (for example, Japanese Patent No. 4912608).
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication Nos. 2002-173799 and 2011-56422 described above, hydrogen peroxide is used. However, hydrogen peroxide is difficult to obtain in general. In addition, hydrogen peroxide is sold as oxidol having a concentration of approximately 3%, but a large amount thereof is necessary to be used for washing a container, so using hydrogen peroxide is not economic.
In Japanese Patent No. 4912608, as a chemical substance decomposition agent, an agent in which a solid hydrogen peroxide generating agent is dissolved in water is used. However, the chemical substance decomposition agent is an agent for efficiently cleaning a contaminated material such as soil or groundwater contaminated by a chemical substance. That is, a description or suggestion of the agent, in which a solid hydrogen peroxide generating agent is dissolved in water, and which generates hydroxyl radicals and decomposes stains attached to an object to be washed by the hydroxyl radicals, is not made at all.
Therefore, in light of the problems, an object of the invention of the present application is to provide a metal container washing apparatus which can obtain hydrogen peroxide for generating hydroxyl radicals and electrolytes using a simple configuration and a simple method and which is small and has excellent portability and storability.